


The Babysitter's Club

by cyparissus, woodenduck



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Art, Family, Gen, Illustrated, Pre-Movie(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-10 01:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5564554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyparissus/pseuds/cyparissus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodenduck/pseuds/woodenduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben gets drafted into babysitting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Babysitter's Club

**Author's Note:**

> This spawned from a conversation we had about What Happened To Ben and there was crying and then all of this happened.
> 
> Art by woodenduck/leafpuppy ([Tumblr link here](http://leafpuppy.tumblr.com/post/136135983725/tfa-spoilers-so-is-anyone-else-hung-up-on-the)), writing by cyparissus.

“Ben!”

 

Ben starts at the sudden shout of his father, several miscellaneous items around his room falling to the floor with a series of clunks as his focus is broken. His expression melts into annoyance and he looks at his closed bedroom door with contempt, wondering if he can just pretend he never heard that.

 

“Ben! Can you come down here? I need your help with something,” his father calls again, this time closer. Ben rolls his eyes and sighs, rolling his shoulders as he relaxes and unfolds his legs, getting up from his bed and not hurrying down the stairs to where his dad is waiting, wearing an expression like he’s trying very hard to be patient and not quite succeeding.

 

“Your mom needs help down at the base but I was looking after Rey for Luke. Do you think you can watch her for an afternoon?” he asks, his expression imploring, and Ben sees that the creases around his eyes are a little deeper than usual. He’s worried, and he’s masking it. He sighs as he mentally says goodbye to his afternoon of training.

 

“Oh, come on, don’t make that face,” his father says, a little of the stress he’s badly concealing melting away as if Ben’s discomfort makes him happy, “I’m sorry about interrupting your very important training and all that, but your family needs you for a very important task.” His voice takes on the exaggerated, lofty tone he uses when he’s impersonating Ben’s Master, and Ben rolls his eyes to cover his snort of laughter.

 

“That’s more like it,” his father says, reaching out to ruffle Ben’s hair before he can duck away, “You work too hard anyways. You’re a kid, you should be having fun.”

 

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Ben objects stiffly, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin, pressing his height advantage over his father. Something very sad passes over his father’s expression for a moment, but it’s gone when he breaks their eye contact. Ben scrambles for something else to say, suddenly overcome with guilt, like he’d done something wrong, “And anyways, since when is babysitting fun?” The tension breaks when his father laughs, clapping him on the shoulder.

 

“That’s the spirit. Don’t worry, I’m sure we can work out some kind of payment later with your mom,” at the mention of Ben’s mother his father’s face creases again, “Speaking of, I gotta get going. You’ll be all right here?”

 

“Yes, yes, I’ll be fine,” Ben says, waving off his concern, “I think I can handle a five year old girl.”

 

“That’s my boy,” his father calls, already halfway out the door, “Love you!”

 

“Love you too,” he calls back halfheartedly, staring at the door for a moment as he listens to a landspeeder fire up outside and then fade away.

 

He glances over to the side and does a double take, startling when all he sees for a moment is a pair of big, hazel eyes peeking at him over the back of the couch.

 

“Holy shit!” he exclaims, stumbling back a step before he processes what he’s seeing, the eyes going a little bit wider before an entire round face emerges from behind the couch.

 

“You said a bad word,” she says, and Ben gives her an incredulous look, still catching his breath. After a moment he regains his composure, clearing his throat and squaring his shoulders again.

 

“So? I’m an adult, I can say what I want,” he says, walking over around the couch like he hadn’t just been startled by a five year old.

 

“Uncle Han said you were a kid,” she objects, turning around on the couch to keep her eerily huge eyes on Ben.

 

“He’s my dad. He’s always going to think I’m a kid,” he says, shrugging as he sits down on the couch next to Rey, resting his elbows on his knees and looking over at her.

 

“How do you know you’re not a kid?” she asks in that odd intuitive way of hers, and Ben gets the distinct impression that Rey sees more of himself than anyone else. He considers her question for a moment, frowning.

 

“I have a lot of responsibility now,” he says, the first thing that occurs to him, and that sounds kind of stupid when he hears himself say it, “I just know, okay?” He snaps, getting frustrated at his own inability to come up with a coherent answer. Rey considers him very carefully but otherwise doesn’t react, and Ben immediately feels guilty, sighing and running a hand back through his hair.

 

“Sorry,” he says quietly, looking away from her stare that looks right through him.

 

“It’s okay,” she says almost immediately, launching herself across the couch and wrapping her arms around his neck. Ben returns the hug, smiling a little as some of the weight on his shoulders seems to lift, “Do you want to draw?” she says, pulling back from the hug to gesture to the papers and writing instruments spread out across the nearby table. Some are already colored and drawn all over, and Ben recognizes a couple as having more skill in them than a five year old could manage; obviously his father had been drawing with her earlier.

 

“Sure,” he says, sitting close to her as she shuffles through the pages on the table, launching into a story she’d apparently been making up while playing with his father, showing Ben the pictures that went along with the story. She tells a complicated, intricate story about a dark-haired Jedi Knight saving the world, and when she catches up to the moment when his father had gotten the call from his mother she pauses, looking at him expectantly.

 

“So?” he asks, putting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth, “What happened next?”

 

Rey’s grin bursts over her face, undoubtedly the brightest thing Ben has ever seen, and it makes his heart swell a little just to see it. She grabs the nearest paper and starts to passionately scratch away a new drawing, talking very quickly as she comes up with more to the story. Ben joins her eventually, adding his own details to the story where he’s allowed to and drawing pictures when she commands him to.

 

[](http://leafpuppy.tumblr.com/post/136135983725/tfa-spoilers-so-is-anyone-else-hung-up-on-the) 

 

The story lasts for hours, and Ben is sure that Rey would have just kept going if he hadn’t stopped to make dinner for them both. After they eat Rey is clearly tired but unwillingly to admit it, and with a little bribery Ben convinces her to switch to holovids, turning the lights down just so. Sure enough, less than thirty minutes into the video her head falls down onto Ben’s shoulder, and he turns down the volume a little so it won’t disturb her sleep.

 

The next thing Ben knows he’s blinking up at the tired face of his mother, who’s gently shaking him awake.

 

“Good morning,” she says, smiling at him, and Ben looks down at where Rey is laying on him, his arms curled tightly around him, “Luke’s here to take her home.” Ben nods, slowly and gently removing her octopus-like grip on him, then he picks her up and hands her over to his Uncle, who’s smiling warmly at him and hefts her easily onto his shoulder without disturbing her sleep. The adults exchange some quiet goodbyes while Ben is still yawning and rubbing his eyes, and Luke waves to him as he leaves. Ben turns his attention to his parents, who both look exhausted.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asks, and they share a pained glance with each other, which only serves to heighten Ben’s anxiety.

 

“For now,” his mother says after a moment, turning her gentle smile on him, “It’ll be okay, Ben.” She pats his shoulder and Ben opens his mouth to protest, to explain that he’s old enough to be involved in these problems, that maybe he could help them, but with a glance at both of their expressions he knows they won’t hear it. He closes his mouth with a click, his jaw tensing and his hands tensing into fists at his sides.

 

“Just go to sleep, son, it’s late,” his father says, and Ben gives them each a long look before he sighs, ascending the stairs to return to his room and his meditation.


End file.
